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E*TRADE Joins Commission Free ETF Party

Michael Johnston — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:24:11 +0000

Better late than never. E*TRADE, the online brokerage that is perhaps best known for its commercials starring infant trading whizzes, has begun offering commission free trading on a lineup of exchange-traded funds. ETFs issued by Global X, WisdomTree, and db-X (Deutsche Bank) will be eligible for commission free trading on the E*Trade platform. That lineup includes about 90 ETFs covering a wide variety of asset classes, including currencies, international bond markets, dividend-weighted indexes, and commodity-producing equities. The most popular ETFs that are now available commission free on E*Trade include: WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund (DEM) WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund (ELD) WisdomTree Dividend ex-Financials Fund (DTN) Popular Global X tickers available on the E*Trade platform now include the Silver Miners ETF (SIL), Uranium ETF (URA), and Colombia ETF (GXG). The db-X lineup of ETFs includes a suite of currency-hedged products that strip out the impact of exchange rate [...]

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Not All Mid Cap ETFs Are Created Equal

Stoyan Bojinov — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Ongoing worries of a global economic slowdown coupled with Euro zone debt woes have prompted many investors to reallocate capital to safer corners of the market in recent months. U.S. large cap stocks have been a popular destination, largely considered a “safe haven” amongst equity investors, as this asset class has staged an impressive comeback since earlier in October of this year. However, investors looking to further diversify the equity portion of their portfolio ought to take a closer look at mid cap U.S. equities. Mid caps are often overlooked, although research suggest that this asset class can offer an appealing risk/reward profile relative to large cap stocks [see 25 Things Every Financial Advisor Should Know About ETFs]. Investing in mid cap equities may be appealing to investors who are seeking out the potential for significant capital appreciation while still maintaining relatively “safe” exposure, unlike small and micro cap stocks [...]

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Dividend ETF Special: 25 Equity ETFs With Attractive Distribution Yields

Michael Johnston — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:00:55 +0000

For investors looking to generate current returns from the equity portion of their portfolio, there is no shortage of exchange-traded products offering attractive dividend yields in the current environment. From ETFs linked to dividend-weighted indexes to those that focus on companies with stellar distribution histories to simply sector-specific funds in high yield corners of the market, there are dozens of options to choose from. Below, we profile 25 dividend ETF options [for more ETF ideas, sign up for our free ETF newsletter]: 1. 2x Monthly Leveraged Business Development Company ETN (BDCL) Business development companies (BDCs) are a unique type of entity engaged in lending money to small and mid-sized companies and making various types of strategic investments. In order to maintain certain tax advantages, BDCs must pay out almost all of their current earnings–making this asset class an interesting option for yield-hungry investors. BDCL is a monthly leveraged ETN, meaning [...]

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iShares Debuts Dividend ETF (HDV)

Michael Johnston — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:58:20 +0000

iShares announced the latest addition to its ETF lineup on Thursday, rolling out a fund that seeks to deliver exposure to U.S. companies that have consistently delivered relatively high dividend yields. The iShares High Dividend Equity Fund (HDV) will seek to replicate the performance of the Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index, a benchmark that includes 75 high yielding companies. “Income is in high demand, yet continues to be hard to come by from traditional sources in a cost-effective, diversified, flexible trading manner,” said Noel Archard, Head of US Product at iShares at Blackrock. “A basket of high dividend yielding equities can often provide investors with several benefits such as the potential for enhanced total return (especially in uncertain market environments), possible reduced volatility as compared to more growth-oriented stocks, and greater inflation protection than bonds through the ability to provide capital appreciation.” The largest holdings of the new ETF include [...]

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Dividend ETF Investing: Mid Cap Options

Michael Johnston — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:00:35 +0000

The universe of U.S.-listed exchange-traded products has grown at an impressive rate over the last several years, bringing the industry to a point where there are more than 1,100 products with aggregate assets exceeding $1 trillion. According to the ETF screener, there are nearly 800 equity ETFs available, an impressive total that allows investors to slice and dice global stock markets in a number of different ways. Many of the most popular equity ETFs are broad-based “plain vanilla” products that offer exposure to benchmarks such as the S&P 500, Russell 1000, or the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. But the ETF product lineup also includes various options that deliver more targeted exposure, allowing investors to fine tune equity allocations by gaining access to various sectors, countries, and weighting methodologies [see Do You Need A RAFI ETF?]. There are also ETFs offering exposure to numerous investment strategies and methodologies, including funds that [...]

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Are Your Cap-Weighted ETFs Leaders Or Laggards?

Cathy Carlson — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:07:03 +0000

The rapid growth of the ETF industry in recent years has altered the investment landscape in more ways than one. The low expense ratios offered by most exchange-traded products have brought increased scrutiny on active managers and called into question their ability to add value to client portfolios. The immediate diversification offered by a basket of securities has caused some to shift away from the complex research associated with individual stock picking towards more macro analysis required for tactical strategies. And as indexes have evolved from hypothetical measures of performance to essentially investable assets, the methodologies utilized in the construction and maintenance of benchmarks have become increasingly important to investors [see our database of ETF indexes]. The first generation of equity ETFs was dominated by market capitalization-weighted strategies, a methodology that involves assigning a weight to each component based on the total value of its equity. Most of the assets [...]

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Weighting Methodologies: An ETF Report Card

Michael Johnston — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:00:50 +0000

Advisors and individuals who favor a tactical asset allocation to investing have historically analyzed broad macroeconomic trends and statistics to identify asset classes and sectors poised deliver strong returns. In the early days of the ETF industry, this meant homing in on a certain sector or style and picking the fund that tracked that segment. But as the landscape has continued to evolve, asset class and investment style aren’t the only decisions investors face. Market capitalization weightings were once the only game in town, but in recent years alternative weighting methodologies have become more popular among investors who find flaws in a strategy that gives the most weight to the biggest companies. The vast majority of ETF assets is still in traditional market capitalization-weighted funds (and most of the largest and most popular ETFs fall into this category). But investors have embraced a number of other strategies in recent years, [...]

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ETF Database » DON

E*TRADE Joins Commission Free ETF Party

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Not All Mid Cap ETFs Are Created Equal

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Dividend ETF Special: 25 Equity ETFs With Attractive Distribution Yields

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iShares Debuts Dividend ETF (HDV)

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Dividend ETF Investing: Mid Cap Options

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Are Your Cap-Weighted ETFs Leaders Or Laggards?

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Weighting Methodologies: An ETF Report Card

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